I celebrated my 45th birthday this week. It doesn’t seem very old to me, but I remember when I was a child and thought a 45 year old person was ancient. As I reflected on this past year, I wanted to share with you 45 life lessons I’ve learned that can help you.

Some people get funny about celebrating a birthday. They don’t want to think about getting older. Not me, any excuse to celebrate is just fine. Plus, I view each birthday as another year I wasn’t guaranteed to get.

Remember this the next time people sing “Happy Birthday” to you.

Every time you have a birthday, it’s a true gift. You might be getting older, but it beats the hell out of the alternative. It’s a blessing to have a birthday, to get older, to add another candle to the cake. Don’t take it for granted. Truly, each birthday is a time to celebrate, reflect, think about how you’re living your life and what changes you want to make in the next year.

Plus, we don’t just get older, we get better.

That’s my theory, and I’m sticking to it.

Here are 45 lessons I’ve learned that can help you:

• Having a family you love being with is a true blessing.
• Good friends make life full and fun.
• I’d rather have less of something and love what I have than a lot of something I don’t really like.
• Taking the time to be organized is way better than playing catch up later on.
• People are more important than things.
• Going through something hard makes you stronger.
• Time is precious. For everyone.
• Money can’t make you happy but it’s way more fun to have it.
• It’s always a good idea to have plans the day you get your hair cut.
• If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’re just going to get what you’ve always gotten.
• My voice sounds really good when I sing in the shower. That doesn’t mean I have a good voice.
• Binging on Netflix is a great way to spend a couple of hours.
• Helping other people actually makes me feel better.
• Worrying doesn’t do anything but suck the joy out of an experience.
• Having a few bites of a really good dessert won’t hurt anything.
• Just because something is hard doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.
• You can learn a lot about yourself when you travel somewhere new.
• I’ll never regret spending time with my kids.
• Expect good things to happen because most of the time they do.
• Eating chocolate everyday makes me happy.
• The size of a person’s house doesn’t equate to the size of their heart.
• Do something because you want to do it, not so you can say you’ve done it.
• You have to be a good friend in order to have a good friend.
• Holiday shopping is better when you don’t have to rush.
• Feeling jealous is a waste of energy.
• There’s something really nice about a hot bath or a hot cup of tea.
• Staying in your PJ’s all day long doesn’t mean you’re lazy.
• Doing a job I love feeds my soul.
• My kids don’t need me to be a friend, they need me to be their Mom.
• Happiness is a choice we must elect for ourselves.
• When I think I can, I’m usually right. When I think I can’t, I’m usually right.
• Everyday is a new opportunity to start over again.
• If you aren’t a morning person, you’re never going to be one.
• I feel better when I’m wearing a cute outfit.
• I don’t like being around my kids when they’re grumpy.
• Exercising regularly will make you happier and nicer to be around.
• Laughing until you cry feels amazing.
• It’s probably not a great idea to wait until the car reads empty before going to the gas station.
• People who judge you aren’t really your friends.
• Your heart will never be too full to love someone deserving.
• Expectations can be a dangerous thing. Manage them.
• Living with gratitude and appreciating what you have will bring you a lot of joy.
• The scariest times in my life have also been the times I’ve grown the most.
• Life can be hard but it’s worth it. So worth it.
• Everyone can use a little Crazy Perfect Life! Tell your friends, share the love, and if you haven’t read my free E-book, click on this link: How to Make the Most of Your Crazy Perfect Life.

Find meaning each day,

Dara

If you enjoyed this post, check out this post about eating ice cream: https://crazyperfectlife.com/icecream/